Questions related to government systems where people exercise power directly or through elected officials.
Questions tagged [democracy]
44 questions
14
votes
11 answers
Are protests in a democracy ethical?
Usually in common media, protests are seen in a good light and for causes we may agree with. However, if one really thinks about it, in reality what is happening is a small group of people showing some sort of negative feedback to the whole…
Reine Abstraktion
- 2,090
- 9
- 23
14
votes
9 answers
Should I vote for what is best for me or what is best for others?
I live and vote in a constituency where the policies of Party A are better for the long-term success of my business, which determines the material conditions of my well-being and that of my family. Yet, I believe the policies of Party A damage the…
luchonacho
- 880
- 4
- 16
13
votes
3 answers
Was the Republic a meritocracy?
One direct way of stating the heart of the question might be: is there sufficient textual evidence and support for the assertion that Plato's Republic contains meritocratic elements?
A second and larger concern here would be if so, because of this…
Joseph Weissman
- 9,432
- 8
- 47
- 86
11
votes
7 answers
Is there any difference between Populism and Democracy ?
I'm from India, the world's largest functional democracy. We often hear of political opponents criticizing each other for being 'populist' and for 'forgoing good governance'. And we also hear the term 'vote-bank politics' in which politicians are…
Arjun J Rao
- 211
- 2
- 4
10
votes
7 answers
Are there contemporary arguments against democracy as inherently flawed?
Consider the following idea: In the modern democratic form of government where the person or group in power are chosen through elections, and in a situation where the current elected government is actually doing the best it can in a given situation,…
Alexander S King
- 26,984
- 5
- 64
- 187
9
votes
1 answer
What are reasonable basic obligations of citizens in democratic societies?
Theorists (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel) have often discussed the state's obligations to its citizens, but nowadays it seems we need a definitive-but-succinctly articulated account of citizens' obligations to sustaining healthy, functioning…
Mavaddat Javid
- 193
- 5
9
votes
9 answers
What reason does an individual have to vote?
Given that the outcome of an election will be the same whether one individual votes or not, what reason does that individual have to vote?
Obviously there is an extremely unlikely case where one vote will change the outcome.
As a group, the voters…
Jake
- 199
- 4
8
votes
6 answers
Is "Don't blame me; I voted for ___" a bad argument?
Is there a fallacy in the argument, "Don't blame me; I voted for ..."? Or is a voter's entire responsibility for their contribution to whatever current state of political affairs they experience entirely waived because they voted for a candidate(s)…
xuinkrbin.
- 183
- 5
8
votes
1 answer
Is Nietzsche suggesting that the "free spirit" is a democrat in On the Genealogy of Morals?
It is no secret that Nietzsche had contempt for democracy. In Beyond Good and Evil, he compared democrats, those people of democracy who think that humans are all equal and free, to a herd of farm animals (section 44 in the second part, "The Free…
commando
- 7,281
- 6
- 37
- 69
7
votes
5 answers
Is there something "morally weird" about social media sites with downvote functions?
I was thinking of the democracy-theoretic reason for the function here or on Reddit (the main examples I can think of at the moment), but then I remembered:
When we vote for political officers, we tally upvotes only; it's not like the US president,…
Kristian Berry
- 9,561
- 1
- 12
- 33
6
votes
5 answers
Paradox of compromise illustrated by neighbours painting houses
If I remember correctly, there was a problem illustrating the paradox of compromise (and to some extent democracy?) where there are two neighbours that want to paint their houses.
They both want to paint their house their favourite colour (e.g.…
CyberStrength
- 63
- 3
6
votes
2 answers
What kind of government did Aristotle consider the best?
If Aristotle was opposed to democracy as an ideal form of government, what kind of government did he consider the best?
quantme
- 173
- 1
- 1
- 7
6
votes
1 answer
Is "group X is responsible for the action (or inaction) of politician Y because they are the majority of voters" a fallacious argument?
I have read this very useful answer which suggests that the moral responsibility of an individual voter for the actions of a politician they voted for, is limited.
However, the comments on that answer point out that the same logic does not…
ff524
- 163
- 4
6
votes
1 answer
What forms of democracy allocate variable numbers of votes to their citizens?
Some are pointing out that democracy with equal vote is not optimal and they propose that people should have variable numbers of votes based on their education, usefulness or other social factors.
What is the name of this idea? What other variants…
daniel.sedlacek
- 241
- 1
- 8
6
votes
5 answers
Do people have the right to split off part of a sovereign state?
On one hand we have sovereign nation states with stable, recognised borders. On the other hand there can be groups of people inside them that want to split off to become independent, or join a neighbouring country. I can feel sympathy for both…
Jeroen Kransen
- 170
- 5